1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an absorbent product for men, comprising an absorption body which tapers preferably towards one end from a front section of the product towards a crotch section of the product and which is enclosed in a sheath consisting of a liquid-tight layer on the side of the absorption body facing away from the user during use and a liquid-permeable layer on the opposite side of the absorption body, both of which layers extend beyond the absorption body round about this and are mutually joined there, and the absorption body is arranged to extend, during product usage, from the said front section of the product in the direction of the crotch region and is intended to extend with its narrower end section to slightly below the penis of the user.
2. Background Art
In practice, conventional diapers have hitherto commonly been used as incontinence pads for men. The drawback with conventional diapers is that they are intended to absorb both urine and faeces and that they are therefore not suitable for men who only need a urine-collecting pad. Conventional diapers are relatively cumbersome, having thick and wide absorption bodies which, during usage, extend the whole of the way from the abdominal section of the user, through the crotch and a substantial way up over the back of the user. Large and bulging diapers are not, of course, suitable, especially not for men who have urine incontinence but who are not in any way handicapped. For reasons of both comfort and modesty, there is a great need for more purposeful products for incontinent men.
Light incontinence is a large and hidden handicap from which many men suffer and which seriously limits their chance of leading a normal active life. A large group of men who suffer from this are those with prostate problems. Following surgery, these men are usually afflicted by drip incontinence, which causes a great deal of suffering.
Incontinence pads for men with light incontinence are previously known per se, but they have not worked satisfactorily in all respects. Examples of previously known incontinence pads for men are pads of the type which have a container-like part for receiving the genitals of the male user. Fundamental drawbacks with these are that they are altogether too warm, at the same time as they are too tight-fitting and hence uncomfortable for the user. A further drawback with pads of this type is that they are too rigid and can give rise to chafing.
Swedish patent specification SE 450 811 describes an incontinence pad intended for men, consisting of an upper shield-like part, which, during usage of the pad, is applied over the penis and scrotum of the user, and a lower part, which, during usage of the pad, curves inwards under the penis and scrotum without totally surrounding these and has a downward-tapering cup-like shape. The pad according to the said publication is airy and relatively comfortable compared with conventional diapers. Unlike the abovementioned incontinence pads having a container-like part, it does not enclose the organs of the user, but instead forms an airy splash guard. The configuration of the pad with a downward-tapering, cup-like part provides, in addition to good adjustment of the pad to the body of the user, at the same time a guard for downward splashes.
The pad according to the publication is formed from a flat blank, the one end of which has two separate longitudinal flaps. The cup-like lower part of the pad is obtained by the said flaps being curved and mutually connected in somewhat overlapping arrangement.
A drawback with these previously known incontinence pads is that the production process is relatively complicated with cutting steps, folding steps and connecting steps. Another drawback is that the pad, in order to work fairly reliably, should have a good fit for the respective user, which, with this design, is unattainable in practice since the size of different users naturally varies considerably and it is not economically possible to have a satisfactory range of sizes. A further drawback is that the incontinence pad according to SE 450811, in order to be able to assume the desired cup-like shape at the bottom, limits the choice of material in the pad, since this must have relatively high stiffness in order to assume and maintain the desired cup shape.
Another example of a previously known incontinence pad for men is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,168. This pad has an absorption body which tapers towards one end from a front section of the product towards a crotch section of the product and which is enclosed in a sheath consisting of a liquid-tight layer on the one side of the absorption body and a liquid-permeable layer on the opposite side of the absorption body. The two layers extend beyond the absorption body and are mutually joined there. The incontinence pad according to the last-named publication is provided with elastic threads or the like, which are applied with pretensioning to the sheath on both sides of the absorption body and which converge in the direction of the narrower end section of the absorption body. The absorption body has lower flexural stiffness transversely to the transverse direction the closer one gets to the narrow end of the absorption body and the elastic threads will therefore lend the absorption body increased curvature the closer one gets to the narrow end. The elastic and the tapered absorption body interact to give the pad a cup-like part at the bottom, which cup-like part, during usage of the pad, is intended to arc in under the penis and scrotum of the user.
In a configuration according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,168, it is important for the absorption body to have a stiffness which enables the absorption body to interact with the elastic as intended, thereby limiting the choice of materials for the absorption body. A further drawback with the design according to the last-named patent publication is that any variances in stiffness per unit of area over the surface of the absorption body can give rise to unwanted folds in the lateral direction out from the absorption body, which in turn can lead to urine leakage along the folds in the lateral direction out from the product. Another drawback is that incontinence pads according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,168 are difficult to pack in the compressed state, since there is a high risk of the three-dimensional products formed by the elastic being destroyed in the packaging operation or during storage in the packaging. The tension from the elastic of the absorption body, in combination with external mechanical influences, results in both the elastic and the absorption body being subjected to high stresses.